Late Romanian Dictator Ceausescu's Gifts Are Being Auctioned

If you’ve been looking to buy gold-plated silver doves and an African leopardskin, now’s the time.

They are just some of the things up for sale in an auction of the gifts received by late Romanian leader Nicolae Ceausescu, the Guardian reports.

The auction, organised by Artmark auction house, will take place on Thursday, which would have been Ceausescu’s 94th birthday, according to Romania Insider.

Other items up for grabs for history buffs and interior decorators include a carpet depicting the family of the dictator, with a starting price of €800 ($1,052); a pen that Ceausescu received on a visit to Japan in 1975 (which will go under the hammer for at least €2,000 ($2,629); a collection of furs, expected to sell for at least €1,200 ($1,577); a bronze yak from Chinese leader Mao Tse-Tung; and the doves and leopardskin, a gift from the Shah of Iran in 1977.

There are also numerous communist-era posters, magazine covers, medals, photos, and flags celebrating Lenin and Stalin. Something for everyone.

The auction is being billed as ‘The Golden Age’ (‘Epoca de Aur’), a reference to the final years of Ceausescu’s rule when Communist party officials painted a rosy picture of life in Romania while ordinary people struggled to cope with food shortages and power outages, and the secret police kept tabs on the population.

Ceausescu was overthrown in the 1989 anti-communist uprising and, after a summary trial, was executed with his wife, Elena.

“This auction is first of its kind gathering together objects from private collections and items that belonged to the family which were sold by the state,” said Mihail Stomff, head of private sales at Artmark auction house. “The value is foremost a historical one.”

Foreigners still seem to be the most fascinated by Ceausescu, with buyers coming from Japan, the U.S., and Britain, according to the Guardian.

Check out the stuff on sale here:Please enable JavaScript to watch this video.